Hundreds of thousands of tourists attend the largest lantern offering ceremony on Ba Den Mountain peak

The lantern offering ceremonies on Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh during the first days of Lunar New Year in Viet Nam attracted nearly 300,000 tourists, becoming the largest ever at this sacred site.

On just the two evenings of the 8th and 9th of Tet Lunar New Year, year of the Dragon, the first lantern offerings of the new year on the peak of Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh welcomed nearly 300,000 tourists. This is considered the largest lantern offering ceremony ever at the premier "pilgrimage holy land" in the South Viet Nam. 

According to statistics from Ba Den Mountain Sun World Tourist Area, in the first 10 days of spring there have been over 1 million Buddhist followers and tourists visiting Ba Den Mountain to immerse themselves in meaningful activities during the Di Lac Spring Festival and traditional Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival.

Especially, on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the grand flower and lantern offering ceremony with sacred rituals praying for a peaceful, prosperous and lucky new year promises to be the largest lantern offering of the early spring on Ba Den Mountain.

In Buddhism belief, each lit lantern represents a Buddhist sending a good and peaceful thought for themselves and for everyone into it. This beautiful and sacred Buddhist ritual is held on major holidays at Ba Den Mountain peak such as Ba Den Mountain Spring Festival, Linh Son Thanh Mau Goddess Festival, Buddha's Birthday, Vu Lan...

What’s special is that here, each tourist will personally write their wishes and light their own lantern, blending into the solemn atmosphere during the lantern transmission ceremony, reciting Buddha's name, and floating lanterns on the water around the Bat Nha Sutra pillar. 

“Every year my family pilgrimages to Ba Den pagoda at the start of the new year. Now there is the added habit of going up the mountain for the lantern offering ceremony, praying for peace, good fortune, happiness. This is truly an extremely meaningful and sacred experience in the early days of spring," said Ms. Bui Xuan, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City.

Known as one of the most sacred mountains in the country, Ba Den Mountain welcomes millions of tourists on pilgrimage and worship during early spring. Situated mid-mountain, the Ba Den pagoda complex over 300 years old associated with the legends about the Linh Son Thanh Mau Goddess Bodhisattva is the steady spiritual pillar of the people of the South.

At the peak of Ba Den Mountain, a magnificent spiritual complex with the statue of Buddha Mother of the West representing Compassion, Mercy, and the Maitreya Bodhisattva statue representing Joy and Equanimity, has become a place for Vietnamese people to entrust wishes for a peaceful new year full of joy and the search for true happiness.